~My Red Pilot~ Keith Kogane x Self!insert

VII

  "We came here to form an alliance, but clearly we're not welcome," I say, glaring. Shiro and I start to leave, but Keith stays behind. 

  "I'm not going without some answers. Somehow one of your knives ended up with me on planet Earth. Tell me how," Keith this time, demands.

  "Your friend is right. It is time for you to go," Kolivan says. Keith refuses to leave the situation like this, so he lashes  out at Kolivan again.

  "Where did it come from? I have to know," Keith tries to convince Kolivan once more. 

  "You seek knowledge? There is only one way to attain knowledge here."

  "How? I'll do it!" Keith yells.

  "The trials of Marmora. Should you survive, you may keep the blade and its secrets will be revealed,"  Kolivan tells Keith. 

  "Survive?" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion and worry. Shiro steps next to Keith, a hand on his shoulder. 

  "Keith, this is crazy. If they're not going to help us, let's get out of here,"Shiro tries to convince Keith. Worry and something else in my stomach makes me agree with Shiro, though, I don't vocalize it. 

  "I'm not going anywhere. I have to do this. " Keith then turns to Kolivan. Kolivan turns to the Blade that took the blade from Keith. 

  "Antok, give the boy the blade," he orders. Said Blade handed the dagger to the Red Paladin. The two exchange some words, none of which I really cared to try to listen for. "These trials result in one of two things. Knowledge or death." This pit of a gut feeling settled even deeper inside of me. 

  Shiro, Kolivan and I along with a few other Blades are in a room, separate from Keith, watching him from the screen. Keith was dressed in the basic uniform for the soldiers of the Blade of Marmora. He held the blade in his hand as a Blade rose from the ground, pointing a sword at the boy. "Surrender the blade. You cannot win." Both of the figures get in battle stance, ready to fight. Keith attacks first but is pushed back. As the Blade slashes Keith's shoulder, Keith backs off, pointing the dagger at the Blade. In a matter of a minute, Keith has been defeated, his arm pulled behind his back, the sword at his neck. "Surrender the blade and the pain will cease." 

  "I won't quit," Keith groans out. The Blade lets go of him.

  "Then the pain continues. You are not meant to go through that door," he says, pointing at the door Keith needs to go through. These trials continue, the number growing and Keith getting his ass handed to him each time. With each brutal hit, I twitch, wanting to go through the screen as if it was a window and help Keith. I growl silently at myself and hold myself back but it was hard to do so. I see Keith then throw his blade, it latching between the crack between the trap door and the floor. He runs passed the Blades and jumps into the shoot. The Blades stand there, shocked. I start to mess with the skin around my fingernails and move in impatience. Usually, I am more calm, but right now, the anxiety spikes in me, making me feel worried about the Paladin. 

  We see Keith enter another room, muttering to himself before he passes out on the floor. I start to furrow my brows and bite at my lips, gripping my arm tightly. I didn't notice I was hurting myself before a hand grabs at my wrist and carefully pulls my nails out of my suit. I look to see Kolivan holding that said wrist. Looking at him for a split second, confusion laced in my gaze, he lets go of my wrist before walking back to where he was, continuing to watch Keith. It wasn't until a varga later that Keith arose from slumber. 

  He turned onto his side, looking weak. Then two holograms pop up. I take a step closer to the screen to see a hologram of Shiro and me. The Shiro bent down, reaching a hand down to Keith. "Hey, man. You did it," the fake Shiro said. I looked at the Shiro beside me, confused. 

  "Shiro?" Keith reaches out to Shiro and he pulls him up. Keith grunts in pain. 

  "Kolivan told us you lasted longer than anyone ever has in those battles," the hologram version of me told him.

  "You don't have to keep this up," the hologram Shiro continued. Keith was slouching, holding onto his right arm.

  "What are you two talking about?" Keith asked the both of us. 

  "All you have to do is give them the knife and we can go," the hologram me tells him. The hologram Shiro nods. 

  "I can't give it to them guys."

   The Shiro next to me turns to Kolivan. "Is that a hologram?" he asks the Galra.

  "His suit has the ability to create a virtual mindscape, reflecting its wearer's greatest hopes and fears. And, at this moment, your friend wants to desperately see you two," Kolivan turns to us.

  "What is it with you and that thing? Like why keep something that is as simple as a blade," the hologram me asked.

  "It's not just a blade, it's the only connection I have to my past. It's my chance to learn who I really am," Keith tells the holograms. 

  "You know exactly who you are, a Paladin of Voltron. We're all the family you need," hologram Shiro says.

  "Shiro, you're like a brother to me...but I have to do this," Keith says. The hologram Shiro seems to get angered along with my hologram.

  "No, you don't. So, just give them the knife," Shiro tries to order Keith.

  "I can't do that."

  "Just give up the knife, Keith!" my hologram yells out. 

  "You're only thinking of yourself, as usual!" Shiro yells out. I bite at my lip, just wanting to snap at the hologram Shiro. Keith looks really hurt from that. 

 "I've made my choice. "

  "Then you've chosen to be alone," the hologram Shiro says. This sentence seems to get to me, flashes of my life before the Kerberos mission going through my head. This sentence seems to also get to Keith. The holographic Shiro and I start to walk away from Keith. Keith then looks at the blade before turning back the the holograms of Shiro and I.

  "Shiro! Haven! Wait!" He then runs to catch up to the holograms. He then freezes up, caught up in something in his mindscape before falling to the ground. All of a sudden the base shakes. I grab onto Shiro, grunting. I hadn't even realized that there was some conflict going on in the room before I was caught up in my mind and focused on Keith. I didn't even realize up until now that some of the blade was holding me

  "The Red Lion is attacking the base! It's trying to break through!" one of the Blades yells out to us. Another rumble goes through the base before Shiro can talk to Kolivan.

  "It has a link with Keith. It knows when he's in danger. It's coming for him." Another rumble goes on and some of us lose footing for a bit. I grunt. Before I knew it, Shiro was out of the hands of the blade then he came to me, getting me out of their grips as well. We then run towards where Keith is. We start to see Keith on the ground, starting to wake up. We help him up, each of his arms around our shoulders. "Keith, are you okay?" Shiro asks. We then see the blades come into the room.

   "Stop what you're doing!" one of the blades yell out.

  "What are you talking about? What's going on?" Keith grunts in question. 

  "Call off your beast!" Kolivan orders.

  "Move out of the way! We're leaving!" Shiro yells at him. 

  "You're not leaving with that blade. It does not belong to you. You failed to awaken it!" Keith questions what they mean. "Give up the blade!" One the blades then runs to us, his blade drawn. Shiro pushes Keith onto me, hurriedly activating his arm to protect us. The two clash against each other before Keith yells out to the blade.

  "Wait! Just take the knife!" Shiro and the blade back off as Keith has the dagger out for them to take. "It doesn't matter where I come from. I know who I am. We all need to work together to defeat Zarkon. If that means I give up this knife, fine. Take it," Keith tells them. the stone then glows, the blade growing. 

  "You awoken the blade!" Kolivan exclaimed. "The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins," Kolivan tells us. Does that mean I can awaken one too? Wait. I then look at Keith, now remembering what he said earlier about the blade being left with him. 

  Who was the Galra of his parents?